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Past Cohorts

2025-26

Keli Bedics

Keli Bedics

Keli is a retired United States Air Force Colonel. She was fortunate to have a broad and diverse career ranging from counterdrug assignments in Latin America, to intelligence assignments in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, to international engagement, foreign liaison, and attaché positions in the Pentagon and US Embassies and Consulates abroad. In retirement, Keli has stayed close to her military roots, mentoring and training the next generation of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines in a variety of Department of Defense units.

Keli holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from Tulane University, and a Master of Business Administration from the Universidade Federal Fluminense. Keli is an avid traveler, hiker, and skier. She currently serves on the Alumni Council of the Student Conservation Association and is an indoor cycling, yoga, and TRX instructor at her local gym in Tucson, AZ.
Carolyn Bednarz

Carolyn Bednarz

Early in her career, Carolyn became experienced in complex real estate contract negotiations and transactions as an attorney at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy’s New York and Los Angeles offices. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue her interest in land use regulation and environmental litigation, Carolyn met the love of her life, Paul. Carolyn and Paul raised three children in Marin County; two of whom graduated from Notre Dame while their son graduated from Dartmouth College.

During her children’s formative years, Carolyn opted to become a full time mom and began a career in real estate as her third child completed high school. Since then, Carolyn has enjoyed helping clients successfully navigate a challenging real estate market and realize their dream of purchasing a home, earning nearly $10 million in annual sales revenue. A consistent and enthusiastic volunteer, Carolyn currently serves on the San Francisco Bay Area Notre Dame Alumni Club board.
David Bruscino

David Bruscino

David Bruscino was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame (1984, B.A. Economics). His career has spanned the legal, business, and civil society sectors, including more than 15 years living and working in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Dave was a partner at a major law firm and held senior executive positions with AOL Latin America and Hewlett-Packard. Most recently, Dave worked in South Sudan as Deputy Country Director for BRAC, an international development NGO. Dave currently dedicates his time to consulting and mentoring, construction projects, traveling, and sports.

Dave also holds a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School, an M.B.A. degree from the Fundação Instituto de Administração (Brazil), a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York Studio School, and studied part-time for several years at an interfaith seminary in New York City.
Victoria Cárdenas Chamorro

Victoria Cárdenas Chamorro

Victoria Cárdenas Chamorro is a Nicaraguan businesswoman and human rights advocate with nearly 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. When her husband, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, a presidential candidate, was unjustly imprisoned by the dictatorship in Nicaragua, she fled the country with their daughter. In exile, Victoria led an international campaign across the U.S., Latin America, and Europe to advocate for his release and for the freedom of all political prisoners. After 20 months, her husband was released, and the family reunited. Now co-writing a memoir with him, Hope Amid Horror, she documents their family’s struggle for freedom and justice. As her daughter prepares to graduate from Notre Dame, Victoria looks forward to her own personal journey—one of reflection, healing, and renewal. Through the ILI Fellowship, she hopes to explore new areas of learning, expand her capacity for impact, and build the next chapter of her life, grounded in the voice she found during her most challenging years.
Jim Carlsen

Jim Carlsen

Jim Carlsen is a former US Marine who served as an infantry Company Commander and Judge Advocate at Camp Lejeune and as Senior Appellate Counsel for the Marine Corps in Washington, D.C.

Upon leaving the Marine Corps as a Major, he became a litigation attorney with McGuireWoods, a large international law firm, and later became Assistant General Counsel and Senior Counsel at Northrop Grumman Corporation. He subsequently ran two of Northrop’s major business units and retired after 25 years as a Northrop Grumman executive in 2015.

He obtained his doctorate of law degree in 1981 from the University of Notre Dame attending law school on a full scholarship under the Marine Corps’ Funded Law Education Program. He attended a postdoctoral program in Taxation at Georgetown Law School, and completed executive education at Harvard Business School.

Since retirement, Jim has served as General Counsel for the National Association of Veteran Service Officers and as Director of The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program providing legal and business advice and counsel to both organizations. He has two children, Kathryn–a high school theatre teacher, and Christopher–an aerospace engineer working for Blue Origin in Seattle. His wife, Carrie Carlsen, will be accompanying him to ILI.
Susan Jhin
Associate

Susan Jhin
Associate

Susan, as an Associate of the Inspired Leadership Initiative, is excited to spend a second year at Notre Dame, taking classes that delight her soul. Susan has found her passion in accompanying students on their journey, and has recently enjoyed coaching student mentors on their Stories of Grace through ND Vision. Starting this fall semester, Susan joined the Campus Ministry team as the Interim Coordinator for multicultural student ministry.

As a cultural ambassador for South Korea, Susan has dedicated over thirty-five years to promoting Korean culture. Passionate about her birth country, she uplifts the Korean American community through various initiatives, including curating an eight-city touring exhibit on Korean children’s lives in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Houston, fostering cross-cultural understanding. Additionally, her role as an interpreter and mediator at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, supported global cultural and diplomatic exchange.

Susan was educated at Smith College and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her MBA from Yale University and completed a two-year Certified Financial Planning program at Rice University. Susan’s pursuits span from international marketing to mentoring youth at her local parish to curating cultural programs for organizations such as KoreanAmericanStory.org and the Texas Asia Society. Susan has served on the Children’s Museum of Houston Board for over thirty years, and her legacy continues with the Jhin Family Scholarship Award.

What Susan and Michael are most proud of is raising their three children - Chas (‘14), Jackson (‘17), and Lauren (‘20), all graduates of Notre Dame - to be kind, loving, and compassionate. Susan’s passions include hiking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela and mentoring ND students.
Michael Jhin

Michael Jhin

Michael Jhin was born and raised in Hong Kong until the age of eight when his family immigrated to America. Michael survived Brooklyn and NYC to then live out, and thrive in, his American dream. He came to Notre Dame to be a “trailing supporting spouse” to his wife Susan, an ILI C6 fellow, in gratitude for the enormous support Susan had given to their family and to him (for his career). Susan and Michael so enjoyed their first year at ND, Michael applied to be a C7 Fellow. Now they will both continue to grow and learn at the University which all three of their children attended and love, so that maybe their kids would stop thinking they’re smarter than their parents.

After fourteen exceptionally fulfilling years with the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System (Houston, Texas) as its President & CEO, Michael retired and was named CEO Emeritus. It was recognized by Fortune Magazine in 2003 for the second time as one of the nation’s 100 best companies to work for, being one of only four U.S. non-profit health entities earning that recognition. The Hospital was also recognized as a Magnet Hospital for its compassionate and unexcelled nursing and patient care; it was one of only 82 (of 6,000 U.S. hospitals) and the first hospital in Texas with such designation.

An industry leader in advocating fuller community stewardship, Michael believes true stewardship has mission performance [doing good] as its “ends” with its corporate performance [doing well] as the “means to enable and enhance that end.” He led the creation of the first-of-its-kind St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities to solely expand its mission investments in the health of all people, especially Houstonians.

Michael Jhin has long had a passion for healthcare and the industry’s ability to help and heal people of all ages, and enhance their wellness. He actively contributes to not-for-profit as well as corporate boards, both locally and nationally.
Roger Larson

Roger Larson

Roger Larson, a New Jersey native, served 22 years in the U.S. Army, retiring at the rank of Master Sergeant. His military career included multiple domestic and international assignments, along with three combat deployments. Among his numerous accolades are the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and Combat Action Badge. He was inducted into the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club for exemplary leadership and awarded the Order of Saint Maurice for his significant contributions to the Infantry.

Following retirement, Roger served as Paralegal Manager for a private security firm’s legal team, leading a team of ten professionals. He later relocated to Indiana, where he worked as the Claims Administrator for South Bend prior to acceptance as a member of Cohort 7.

Roger is a Certified Registered Paralegal (CRP) and holds the LPCS designation. He resides in Mishawaka with his wife, Keisha, their son, and four huskies, and have two adult children.
David McMahon, Jr.

David McMahon, Jr.

David J McMahon, Jr. graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1984, with a BA degree in Economics. He also graduated from the Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management with a Masters of Management and Finance degree in 1993. He was employed by a number of Wall Street firms for 34 years, specializing in Institutional Fixed Income sales, trading, marketing and management, predominantly at Morgan Stanley and most recently, Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO). Mr. McMahon is single and currently resides in Montauk, New York.
Lisa Mojica

Lisa Mojica

Lisa Mojica was raised in Chicagoland. She received a degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and post graduation, she worked as a consultant for Accenture (formerly, Andersen Consulting). Lisa then made the decision to be a full time Family Manager and raised her five active children over the last thirty years. During those years, Lisa also served in many volunteer leadership roles at her children’s schools and for her parish–including as President of the Parent Organization, School Board, and Parish Council. Lisa then focused on volunteering for a legal aid organization in Illinois, where she continues to help those who require legal assistance in civil related cases. Lisa continues to volunteer in her community while enjoying her now grown children, extended family, and friends.
Linda Mutschler

Linda Mutschler

Linda spent nearly two decades as an equity analyst on Wall Street, specializing in wireless telecommunications, ultimately leading Merrill Lynch’s Global Telecom Equity Research team. Driven by her passion for nutrition, health, and the environment, she transitioned to dietetics before becoming Executive Director of the Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation (CLCF), a non-profit land trust. Over the past nine years, she has played a key role in transforming CLCF from a volunteer-led group into a professional organization.

Linda holds a BA from Harvard College, an MBA from Wharton's Executive Program, and an MS in Dietetics from Mount Mary University. She and her husband, Jock Mutschler (also a Cohort 7 fellow), have two grown children. In her free time, she enjoys land restoration, running, hiking, and biking.
Jock Mutschler

Jock Mutschler

Jock has spent the past 18 years coaching soccer at both the club and high school levels, combining his passion for the game with a dedication to mentoring student-athletes in life skills. His leadership experience spans military service, business franchising involvement, head coaching roles, and board involvement.

Jock earned a BA and MBA from the University of Notre Dame, where he captained the soccer team, and an MA in Coaching Education from Ohio University. He holds a “B” National Soccer Coaching License through the United States Soccer Federation.

An avid outdoorsman, Jock enjoys hiking, gardening, and beachcombing. He is a certified Master Gardener and Master Naturalist, with board service in environmental and arts organizations.

Jock and his wife Linda live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they raised their two adult children.
Diego Peña

Diego Peña

Diego Jesús Peña currently serves as a full-time arbitrator, mediator, and hearing examiner for the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service (FMCS), American Arbitration Association (AAA), National Mediation Board labor panels, and various Texas state agencies. Mr. Peña is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators.

He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree in history from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Mr. Peña is a seventh generation Texan who resides in Bedford, Texas, along with his wife, Pia. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Julielynne Shiner

Julielynne Shiner

Julielynne Shiner is a transformational leader, joyful life participator, and passionate spiritual seeker devoted to awakening joyful wholeness, holiness, and oneness in herself and others. A former Division I volleyball captain at Ohio State University, she later supported U.S. Air Force training programs, led military family initiatives, and founded nLIGHTn Programs and Retreats to help others uncover and passionately live their soul’s purpose.

An ordained interfaith/interspiritual minister, Julielynne created experiential workshops, retreats, and sacred journeys that integrated movement, mindfulness, and spiritual meaning. She is certified in JourneyDance™, Kundalini Yoga, Chakra Therapy, and Soul Coaching®, and has walked thousands of miles on sacred pilgrimages worldwide while actively working to remove the blocks to love within herself and others.

Known for seeing what’s missing and filling it with compassion, creativity, and light, she joins the Inspired Leadership Initiative eager to deepen her impact, grow in community, and serve from a place of sacred purpose and joy.

2024-25

Debra Blaschko

Debra Blaschko

Debra Skelley Blaschko graduated cum laude from Minnesota State University, Mankato, focusing on mass communications and business. After gaining experience as a news reporter/editor at a county-seat newspaper, she worked as a Customer Service Specialist/Senior Financial Specialist at her alma mater, and as a freelance writer. She is a founding member of the group that established Options for Women/Mankato in 2014, a Pregnancy Medical Clinic-Family Resource Center. Debra volunteers as an advocate for the IMPACT education program, writes the newsletter, co-chairs the annual Gala, and assists with marketing.

Debra was raised on a small farm in Minnesota where she learned stewardship of the land, water, and air. She is married to her sweetheart and counts her years as homemaker, mother, and home educator as precious, delightful, challenging, and educational. It allowed her to mature in her Catholic faith and study current issues while promoting social and environmental reforms in her community.
Connie Chartrand

Connie Chartrand

Most of Connie Chartrand's career was spent working in Financial Services at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. As Global Head of Talent Development for Morgan Stanley, she led a team whose goal was to help leaders, managers, and professionals maximize their potential. She received her Ed.D. in 2004 in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University, where she also serves as adjunct faculty.

Prior to working in Financial Services, Connie lived and worked in Germany for the U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS). She has served on the New York City non-profit Board for the Association for Talent Development, and also volunteers at a local homeless shelter. Connie resides in New York City and Vermont with her Bernese Mountain Dog, Murphy.
Tim Delaney

Tim Delaney

Tim Delaney is an accomplished attorney and policy advocate who has successfully argued in the U.S. Supreme Court, testified before Congress, negotiated in the White House, and helped prosecute the impeachment and removal of a Governor.

After graduating from Yale and earning joint degrees in law and public affairs from the University of Texas, Tim served as a partner at a multi-state law firm, State Solicitor General, Chief Deputy Attorney General, leader of the nonprofit Center for Leadership, Ethics & Public Service, adjunct faculty member at ASU, and civic volunteer. Tim recently retired after 16 years as President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, which he transformed into the largest network of charitable nonprofits in North America by championing, connecting, and informing charitable nonprofits to advance the public good. Policy victories included securing $50 billion for charitable nonprofits that helped save 6.2 million nonprofit jobs during the worst of the pandemic to keep services flowing to the public.

Tim is the proud father of two daughters, and grandfather of two wonderful children.
Mary Dolan

Mary Dolan

With a foundation in public school counseling, Mary Dolan served passionately in the field of school climate improvement and bullying prevention for over 20 years. She provided professional development at the state and national levels in research-based bullying prevention and comprehensive safe schools planning, and in topics such as conflict resolution, peer mediation, and relational aggression.

As a PA Safe Schools Coordinator, she led the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program trainers in the implementation of a nationally recognized Blueprint for Violence Prevention program. Recruited by the PA Department of Education, she authored the Pennsylvania Bullying Prevention Support Plan and helped develop the PA Bullying Prevention Consultation Line.

Mary is enjoying her retirement through community engagement in the Kiwanis Club of Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown Area Education Foundation, and Hope’s Haven Rescue and Youth Camp. However, she experiences the greatest joy in traveling with her husband Kevin to visit their children and spoiling their eight grandchildren.
Deacon Michael P. Forbes

Deacon Michael P. Forbes

Michael Patrick Forbes, an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church since 2013, is a former three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, past President and Chief Executive Officer of PR Strategies International LLC, a public relations firm, and more recently, Vice Chancellor for the Catholic Diocese of Austin.

Forbes earned a licentiate and Master of Canon Law degree from St. Paul University and the University of Ottawa (2016), and a Master of Science in Bioethics from the University of Mary (2021). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and American History from the State University of New York at Albany. In 1999, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Long Island University.

For the past ten years, Forbes has devoted himself to ministry in the local Church. He has been a judge in the Diocese of Austin’s tribunal, and served as the bishop’s canonical counsel, Vice Chancellor, and Director of the Diaconal Ministry. Forbes and his wife, Barbara, moved from Austin, Texas, to Granger, Indiana in July 2023.
David Hemler

David Hemler

David Hemler is an accomplished business leader with success leading organizations both large and small. His large enterprise experience includes roles as President of Microsoft Canada and President of Best Buy for Business, and he founded, led, and invested in several small technology companies after getting bitten by the entrepreneurial bug.

David holds a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Married to a fellow Notre Dame / Chicago Booth alumna, he and his wife Laura have three grown children – the youngest of which will be in her senior year at Notre Dame while Dad is back on the Notre Dame campus. In his free time, David volunteers in his local parish and loves spending time outdoors fishing, boating, and walking the family dog.
Cecile Jagodzinski

Cecile Jagodzinski

Cecile M. Jagodzinski is a retired librarian whose major responsibilities revolved around cataloging and collection development. Over a span of thirty years, she worked in a number of libraries, including the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, a small college library (Quincy College), special libraries (the American Medical Association and Northwestern University Law Library), and academic libraries (Illinois State University and Indiana University).

She majored in English at Canisius College, earning a B.A. from that Jesuit institution. During her professional career, she earned master's and PhD degrees in English literature from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, respectively. Post-retirement, she has received certification in editing and medical editing from the University of Chicago’s Graham School and currently works as a freelance copy editor. Prior to her work as a librarian, she taught at the high school level in Western New York and has taught undergraduate courses in English at Illinois State University and graduate courses in library science at Indiana University.

Besides reading and studying, Cecile enjoys gardening, crocheting, and listening to opera.
Susan Jhin

Susan Jhin

Susan Cho Jhin, a cultural ambassador for South Korea, has dedicated thirty-five years to promoting Korean heritage. Passionate about her birth country, she uplifts the Korean-American community through various initiatives. Susan curated an eight-city touring exhibit on Korean children's lives with the Children's Museum of Houston, fostering cross-cultural understanding. Additionally, her role as an interpreter at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics supported global cultural exchange.

Educated at Smith College and graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania, Susan's career in international marketing led to significant contributions, complemented by an MBA from Yale University. She serves on numerous Houston boards alongside her husband, Michael, cherishing the city they call home. Susan is proud of her three children – Chas, Jackson, and Lauren – alongside daughter-in-law Allison, all University of Notre Dame graduates. Susan's passions include hiking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela and aspiring to become a spiritual director, embodying a journey of purpose and discovery.
Michael Jhin
Associate

Michael Jhin
Associate

Michael Jhin was born and raised in Hong Kong until the age of eight when his family immigrated to America - Brooklyn to be precise. Michael survived Brooklyn and NYC to then live out, and thrive in, his immigrant American dream. He came to Notre Dame to be a “trailing supporting spouse” while his wife Susan was an ILI fellow, only to be converted to a Spousal Associate as the ILI program continues to evolve. Now they will both continue to grow and learn at the university which all three of their children attended and loved, so that maybe their kids would stop thinking they’re smarter than their parents.

After fourteen fulfilling years with the St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System (Houston, Texas) as its President & CEO, Michael retired and was named CEO Emeritus. The System was an enterprise of $1 billion in annual operations with over 7,400 employees. It was recognized by Fortune Magazine in 2003 for the second time as one of the nation’s 100 best companies for which to work and was one of only four U.S. non-profit health organizations recognized. The Hospital was also recognized as a Magnet Hospital for its compassionate and unexcelled nursing care; it is one of only eighty-two (of 6,000 U.S. hospitals) and the first hospital in Texas so designated.

Michael has devoted his entire career to recapturing the “care” and “health” (vs. “illness”) in American “healthcare.” An industry leader in advocating fuller community stewardship, Michael believes in mission performance as well as corporate performance. He led the creation of the first-of-its-kind St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities for the purpose of significantly expanding its mission investments in, and impact on, the health of all Houstonians.

Michael Jhin has long had a passion for healthcare and the industry’s ability to help and heal people of all ages. He actively contributes to not-for-profit as well as corporate boards, both locally and nationally.
Doris Ombara

Doris Ombara

Doris Chandi Ombara is from Kenya and brings vast training, experience, and exposure in the fields of Natural Resources Management, Water and Sanitation, Agriculture, Urban Development, and related social components. Her 40-year career propelled her to top project management covering governance issues, human rights, conflict management, policy development, and advisory in various institutions and forums. She is keen to further this role, especially that of policy development and good governance for the institutions in which she serves, and hopes to share her experiences as she learns from fellow participants in the Inspired Leadership Initiative.

Doris hopes that the shared knowledge, lessons learned, and experiences that she will gain from the University of Notre Dame will build her resilience and sharpen her skills and strategies for the betterment of the management of community initiatives, general governance, and human rights issues that she currently encounters in her day-to-day engagements as Chairperson, Director, and member of various Boards of Management in Kenya. She has a particular interest to fight for the rights of marginalized groups, including women and youth socio-economic empowerment. Doris is a born again Christian.
Gary Simpson

Gary Simpson

Gary Simpson is an ordained (1977) Lutheran clergy, who pastored congregations on the West Coast for 14 years, and taught theology, ethics, and leadership at Luther Seminary for 30 years, retiring in 2020. Over the years he has enjoyed playing and following various athletic sports, with a special love for tennis. Over the last decade he has taken up golf, and over the last year he has once again taken up playing cards. Gary is an avid reader, mostly of various kinds of nonfiction, and a lover of music with a fondness for the Great American Songbook and the popular classics of the 1960s. He also continues to write primarily in his professional fields of theology and ethics.

Gary has been married to Sharon Geiger for over 49 years, and they have three adult daughters and identical twin 17 year old granddaughters who are soccer crazies, fine students, and remarkable leaders. Sharon and Gary enjoy living in downtown Minneapolis and the amenities that come with that.
Richard Sleece

Richard Sleece

Richard A. Sleece is a seasoned executive coach and president of Richard A. Sleece Associates, Inc. Rich works as a coach and “trusted advisor” with global leaders, boards, and teams to maximize their performance in ways that consistently produce business improvements. He offers expertise in coaching executives, management, and staff; communications and team-building; organizational leadership and strategic planning; and business/performance analysis and process development. Rich’s work includes engagements in the areas of petrochemicals, financial services, pharmaceuticals, health insurance, non-profit, hospitality, and engineering and construction.

Rich’s experience also includes three decades with Exxon during which he was responsible for the planning and development of leading-edge initiatives to optimize operations of the company’s plants and for transforming understaffed and inefficient operations into best-in-class organizations. He also led the development/execution of multi-million R&D programs. Lastly, Rich played a critical role in the merger of Exxon and Mobil’s engineering organizations into a single, high-performing company.

For over 30 years, he has applied his business experience to non-profit organizations. His volunteer involvement has included numerous board positions and hands-on volunteering in the areas of community development, child development, child care, mentoring, medical care, affordable housing, and the arts.
Caroline B. Tangka

Caroline B. Tangka

Caroline Bongdu Tangka is the 6th of seven children, born and raised in her native Cameroon. Her career in education spans 30 years, and she has served her nation in various capacities, including teacher trainer, supervisor, consultant, counselor, mentor, education officer, and literacy advocate.

A member of the minority anglophone community, she encountered challenges to her educational and professional career by virtue of her gender, linguistic background, and her support of women’s rights despite cultural norms. Overcoming these obstacles gave her the resilience and audacity to help young girls within her community. Through several years of voluntary service to the underprivileged, she was inspired to found a common initiative charity: 'LOVE HEALS.'

Her current research focuses on holistic empowerment of young girls severely affected by the current socio-political crisis in Cameroon. She strongly believes that her zeal for literacy and self edification of the vulnerable will be amply tutored by the ILI Fellowship.
Jennie Wilson

Jennie Wilson

Jennie Wilson is an executive with more than 30 years of experience growing, transforming, and leading consumer brands in the specialty retail and quick-service restaurant industries. She has a proven track record of financial and change leadership as a president, COO, and CFO in publicly traded and private equity companies with both domestic and international operations.

Jennie recently retired as the president and COO of MGF Sourcing, a $1 billion global apparel sourcing company. She previously held positions at Limited Brands, Dunkin’ Donuts, DSW, and EY. Jennie has served on many local not-for-profit boards, including as the board chair of The Catholic Foundation of Columbus, The McCoy Center for the Performing Arts, The Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, and Handshake America.

Jennie is a graduate of The University of Notre Dame, and she and her husband Mark have three adult sons.
Christine Zapf-Longo
Associate

Christine Zapf-Longo
Associate

Chris is a retired technology coordinator and computer teacher from a Catholic elementary school in Fayetteville, New York. She graduated from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY with a BS in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Philosophy. Chris and her husband, Jim, are proud alums of their Jesuit alma mater and in 2009 received the Simon LeMoyne Award for service to LeMoyne and their community.

Chris started her career as a research assistant and radio-pharmacist in Nuclear Medicine at SUNY Upstate Hospital in Syracuse. After 8 years, she “retired” to become a stay-at-home mother to her two daughters, which eventually led her to accept the computer teacher position at her daughters’ school. A temporary position turned into 17 years of pure joy – sharing knowledge and ethical use of computers with her students in grades K-6, expanding technology resources for her fellow classroom teachers, and troubleshooting and taking care of all the technology equipment in the school.

Chris has been married to her best friend, partner, and love of her life, Dr. Jim Longo (ILI Cohort 5) for over 43 years. They have two wonderful daughters and two beautiful grandchildren. Chris and Jim love to bike, hike, ski, travel, read, and are diehard Syracuse University sport fans. We love Notre Dame, unless they are playing SU!

2023-24

Paparao Chintalapudi

Paparao Chintalapudi

Paparao Chintalapudi is a seasoned Transformational Business Leader with four decades in the Global Petchem/Chemical industry. He has a remarkable track record of transforming large businesses across diverse sectors, driving profitable growth, and building high-performance teams with exceptional skills in strategy, business modeling, and talent building.

Paparao serves as Co-Chair at Social Venture Partners, Hyderabad, and is an Advisory Board member at BVIC (Bala Vikasa International Center), a nonprofit organization promoting result-oriented social enterprises. He also advises social startups, nonprofits, and for-profits for positive impact, and is a regular blogger on philosophical perspectives. Paparao's education includes an Advanced Management Program from HBS, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and a B.S. in Agrisciences.

Among his colleagues, he is considered a very efficient, energetic, natural, and thoughtful leader whose signature virtues include honesty, integrity, and humanity. He is a nonlinear thinker with the skills to analyze complex business situations.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Paparao served as a pro bono mentor for ten social enterprises and NGOs since 2018, where he made significant contributions to enhance the areas of problem-solving, operational strategies, thought leadership, and managerial competencies.
Timothy S. Hart, MD

Timothy S. Hart, MD

Tim Hart received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his medical degree from Georgetown University. After completing his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, he spent four years in the United States Navy stationed at Naval Hospital Guam and Naval Hospital Great Lakes. Dr. Hart then completed a combined Orthopedic and Plastic Surgery Fellowship in Surgery of the Hand at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Recently retired from a 25 year surgical practice in Colorado Springs, he is looking forward to returning to his Midwestern roots to be near family and friends and is excited to explore new interests at Notre Dame unrelated to his previous studies in the sciences while also mentoring undergraduates on the pre-med track.
David Kirven

David Kirven

David Kirven is an accomplished product and marketing executive with over 30 years of industry experience. He has held executive leadership roles at Intuit, Citrix, GoDaddy, and Reltio, with a diverse skill set encompassing leadership development, marketing strategy, product management, and brand development. He was most recently CMO at Reltio, and previously SVP and GM at GoDaddy. He was named among the 101 Top B2B Marketing Influencers of 2022.

Active in his community, David is a board member of Outreach for Nazareth Orphanage, an advisor for the Wyoming Community Foundation, and a former coach of Cathedral High School’s rowing teams.

David attended the University of San Diego where he earned his undergraduate business degree, as well as his MBA. He and his wife raised their 3 children in Carlsbad, California, and have recently moved to Park City, Utah where they enjoy skiing, hiking, and fly fishing.
Andrea Leyland

Andrea Leyland

Andrea Leyland was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. After receiving her BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester, she returned to the State University of New York at Buffalo to earn her DDS. She was then commissioned as a Lieutenant in the US Navy and stationed at Naval Dental Center Norfolk, VA and Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point, NC. Her dental journey took her to Philadelphia where she taught at the University of Pennsylvania and was inspired by her students to specialize in pediatric dentistry. Andrea was Chief Resident at Temple, Episcopal Division in the Advanced Education in Pediatric Dental Residency, and she continued teaching and treating the underserved population in Philadelphia.

Dr. Leyland’s biggest achievement was creating and leading the second pediatric dental residency in Minnesota at Hennepin Healthcare, a Safety Net and Level 1 Trauma Center. Working with learners is her true passion. As an educator she also realizes she is a forever learner.

Andrea enjoys scuba diving with her husband Chris, and two children Grace (20) and Lucas (18). She also enjoys watching Grace play bass in East Carolina University orchestra concerts and Lucas who swims for the Fighting Irish!
Bob Lies

Bob Lies

Bob Lies was raised in suburban Chicago and received a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Marketing. His early career was focused on manufacturing operations where he served in various technical and leadership roles within plants. Those experiences led him to a second career in supply chain management where he led teams responsible for managing capacity and production for several large CPG organizations, including his last role as VP of Supply Chain Planning at Tyson Foods.

Bob and his wife, Jill, raised three wonderful daughters, all of whom are entering the working world as engineers, two having attended Notre Dame. After retiring from corporate life, Bob spent the past school year substitute teaching. He loves traveling and outdoor activities including hiking, gardening, and golfing. Bob looks forward to the ILI opportunity and working towards a new and different third career.
James A. Longo, MD

James A. Longo, MD

James A. Longo, M.D. has been a practicing cardiologist since 1987 in Syracuse, NY. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Jim was born and raised in Syracuse, graduating Summa Cum Laude from LeMoyne College in 1977, and is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the National Jesuit Honor Society. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981 from SUNY Upstate Health Science Center, and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the National Medical Honor Society.

In 1996, Dr. Longo became the founding Medical Director of the LeMoyne College Physician Assistant Program, a position he held until 2017. Dr. Longo has enjoyed teaching both medical students and PA students for over 35 years.

Jim enjoys hiking and biking, and is the ultimate sports fanatic. His proudest achievements are raising his two daughters and being married to his best friend, Christine, for 42+ years.
John P. Morey

John P. Morey

John Morey, a lifelong Boston-area resident, retired in the fall of 2022 following a distinguished career as an executive in banking, institutional investing, and wealth management.

A graduate of Saint Anselm College, where he played ice hockey, John most recently served as Chief Client Officer at Fiduciary Trust Company. Prior to FTC, he was a Partner with GMO LLC, a global asset manager. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President with Putnam Investments and Managing Director at BankBoston in its Private Client and Corporate Banking groups.

Today, John lives on Cape Cod and especially enjoys time with his family along with travel, golf, hiking, landscape design, and non-profit board work.
Lynn E. Olavarri

Lynn E. Olavarri

Growing up in the Bay Area of California, Lynn Olavarri followed a unique career path. Earning a teaching credential at California State University, Sacramento, and then finding employment as a school teacher, she enjoyed a year teaching alongside the men and women who had taught her. Later working as a mentor teacher, Lynn was able to encourage and foster future teachers as they began their career.

After marrying into a family and taking on a new role as a ‘bonus mother’, Lynn stepped into her parents' business. This began a 30+ year career leading a successful small service company of 30-40 employees. She is now happy to transition the company into the enthusiastic and capable hands of a third generation.

Lynn enjoys painting and encouraging creative activities with her family, friends, and grandchildren. She has always loved physical activity, and has completed 20+ marathons (including eight Boston Marathons), but currently, golf and pickleball are presenting an athletic challenge!
Dr. Karambu Ringera

Dr. Karambu Ringera

Born and raised in Meru, Kenya, Dr. Karambu earned her Ph.D. in Intercultural Communication in 2007 from the University of Denver; a Master of Theological Studies (with a Peace and Justice emphasis) from the Iliff School of Theology in Colorado in 2003; a Master's Degree in Media from Kwa Zulu Natal University, South Africa in 1999. She received a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, in 1997, and a Bachelor of Education degree in 1980, University of Nairobi.

Dr. Karambu is the founder and president of the Tiriji Foundation, International Peace Initiatives, founder of the Amani Children’s Homes, the New Generation Leaders program, and Tiriji Eco Centre, and co-founder of the Practical Permaculture Institute, Mount Kenya Region. Dr. Karambu is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

She has used her extensive academic background and international experience working in many countries to design and implement models of effective community engagement, women and youth grassroots organizing programs, collaborative problem-solving models, preemptive and post-conflict reconciliation, and proactive health campaigns. She has built a successful, working model of ‘Amani Homes’ - community homes of peace for orphans and vulnerable children in Meru, Kenya.

Dr. Karambu is the recipient of many awards for her cutting edge work in innovative and sustainable models of development and peacebuilding, women’s human rights, children’s rights, and global leadership programs around the world. Awards include the 2022 Global Women Peace Ambassador Award and the 2021 ACA Peace Ambassador Award, the 2019 Global Impact Award, and the 2019 Mark Wilhelm Award for Courage of Convictions. She was a 2016 Cordes Social Entrepreneurs Fellow, a 2015-16 Next Generation Leader Fellow of the McCain Institute for International Leadership (USA), she received the 2015 Life Achievement Award and 2015 Master Scholar Award (University of Denver), and the 2012 African Achievers Award (UK).
Michael E. Roanhouse

Michael E. Roanhouse

Mike Roanhouse spent his 40+ year career working on poverty, community development, housing, and homeless issues. After attending Catholic schools in Burlington, Wisconsin, he graduated from the College (now University) of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a BA in History and Political Science in 1968, and from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1971 with a JD.

After working in a Legal Services Program focusing on housing and community development programs, he attended the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey (HHH) School of Public Affairs. As part of the HHH program he secured a 6-month internship in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where he was offered a permanent position. From 1974 to 1988 he participated in studies on HUD’s major housing, homeless, and community development programs and policies at the direction of the Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, and Congress. In 1989 he helped set up and staff HUD’s Homeless Office, and in 2001 became one of five managers of the Federal Government’s Principal Homeless Program’s planning and funding process.

In addition to helping manage the annual Continuum of Care Competition and the Emergency Solutions Grant Formula Program, he directed the development of the National Point-in-Time Street and Shelter Homeless Count, Local Homeless Management Information Systems, and the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress from these two databases. His work on counting the homeless was recognized at his retirement in 2016 by HUD Secretary Castro before the full US Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Now retired, Mike participates in St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) parish activities, serves as Vice-president of the Baltimore SVDP Council, is a member of the SVDP National Housing Task Force, and is a board member of the Annapolis/Anne Arundel County Continuum of Care Homeless Planning Body. Mike was married to his late wife, Theresa, for 40 years and has three children, two of whom are Notre Dame graduates.
John Rudolf

John Rudolf

John attended Spokane's Gonzaga Prep, Notre Dame, and Columbia University, focusing primarily on global affairs and sociology. He has always been an intrepid explorer, hiking and cycling the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and has climbed the highest mountains on all 8 continents. His professional career began on Wall Street in an entry level sales job and that competitive environment fit his own adventurous goal-oriented nature, building an investment career as a partner of Oppenheimer & Co., and eventually moving his growing family back to the Pacific Northwest where he founded Summit Capital and Glacier Peak Capital, named for his enthusiastic love of the outdoors.

Along with his family and investing, John has always been very passionate about engaging in the world and serving others in non-profit activities, coaching, and mentoring, as well as being very active with biking, hiking, tennis/pickleball, skiing, water sports, and golf. He enjoys walking conversations around Notre Dame's famous campus lakes as much as serious mountain climbs. For 20 years he has been an advisor to the Applied Investment Management [AIM] program of Notre Dame's Mendoza School of Business. He has also been a youth sports coach and mentor, and has served and supported many organizations including Andean Health and Development (a ND founded organization that builds hospitals in Ecuador and hosts an annual fundraising bike ride), trustee of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, chair of NY's Pelham Art Center, co-chair of the United Way of Seattle, chair of the advisory board of Notre Dame’s Snite Museum of Art, Founder of the College Baseball Classic, trustee of the Pacific NW Ballet, advisor to the University of Washington's Institute of Prostate Cancer Research, and is involved with the Coeur d'Alene Symphony, Idaho Youth Ranch, Habitat for Humanity, Seattle Prep and Gonzaga Prep High Schools, and Gonzaga University's athletic programs.

John is blessed with a large, wide-spread family. He splits his time between Idaho, Palm Desert, and Seattle, and soon: South Bend, Indiana! His personal mantra is "Live Life Large and Get Involved," so he is eagerly looking forward to the many academic, cultural, and social opportunities and challenges that being a fellow of the ILI program for a full academic year on the Notre Dame campus is going to bring.
Thomas Schliep

Thomas Schliep

Thomas Michael Schliep, an experienced entrepreneur, and skilled operations strategist, successfully led the operations department of a startup to achieve remarkable sales of $104 million. This exceptional performance caught the industry's attention, resulting in a $231 million acquisition by the Campbell Soup Company.

After an accomplished 25-year career in the business world, Thomas embarked on a transformative journey towards mission-driven work, focusing on peacebuilding and serving the global good. He further enhanced his expertise through graduate degrees in Theology from Cornerstone University and Northern Seminary, specializing in Migration Theology. He is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Forced Migration from Oxford University's Refugee Studies Center to deepen his interdisciplinary understanding.

Today, Thomas dedicates his intellectual energy to studying peace and conflict, religion and conflict resolution, nonviolence, and nuclear disarmament. Alongside his passion for humanity, he enjoys life with his wife and his multitude of books and music, and he firmly believes life is too short for bad coffee.
Beth Weber

Beth Weber

Beth Weber has been fundamentally shaped by her enduring connection to the U.S. Navy, a journey marked by countless moves and nine years spent living overseas. Her journey began as a “Navy brat,” followed by a 20-year career as a Navy nurse, and continued as a Navy spouse in support of her husband, Tim, during his 33-year naval career. Beth earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Clemson University and a master's degree from the University of Maryland.

Her most memorable experiences include three deployments on the U.S. Navy hospital ship, USNS COMFORT, where she witnessed the profound impact of healthcare services in support of vulnerable populations. Following her naval career, Beth continued bedside nursing, taught undergraduate nursing students, and led numerous community initiatives. Most recently, she served as the Chairman of Naval Services FamilyLine, one of the oldest military nonprofits, supporting Navy families.

With a lifelong passion for learning and exploring, Beth enjoys reading, fitness, and volunteering.
Renee Werner

Renee Werner

Renee Werner enjoyed a diverse career in HR Consulting and Corporate HR. She worked in a variety of industries and companies - big and small, public and private, regional and global. She held progressive leadership positions in compensation, benefits, and training and development. She is passionate about employee health and wellness, education, and equity.

Her community involvement includes starting up a non-profit organization with friends, and raising money for organizations by completing endurance events – including several century bike rides, half marathons, a full marathon, and a half Ironman. In her spare time, she enjoys active travel, being in nature, learning new things, and taking on new challenges.

Renee is a Chicago-area native, but spent a few years on the east coast after grad school. She earned her BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her MBA from the University of Notre Dame. She also holds a health coaching certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

2022-23

Laura Barker

Laura Barker

Laura Barker is passionate about inspiring the hearts and minds of young people. For more than 20 years she taught in private and public schools and earned two teaching credentials from Santa Clara University. She also helped found a successful school based on the Reggio Emilio approach.

Prior to her career in teaching, she consulted in public relations. Laura began her career in Washington, D.C. working for the U.S. Government in both the Legislative and Executive Branches. Laura graduated from Rutgers University with a major in Economics and a minor in Art History.

She is a graduate of the Diocese of San Jose Institute for Leaders in Ministry. Laura’s current focus is the care for all creation inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. In her spare time she can be found hiking, biking, paddle boarding, wakeboarding and skiing at Lake Tahoe. She is married to Ken Barker, a Notre Dame alum (’88), and the mom of two ND graduates: Cindy (ND ’22) and Hillary Frazer (ND MBA ’21).
Lisa Bevington

Lisa Bevington

Lisa Bevington is a Western Pennsylvania native and graduate of Seton Hill University. She began her undergraduate studies as a Fine Arts Metal Sculpture major and graduated with a degree in Medieval Literature. After working for her Alma Mater as an Admissions Counselor for two years, Lisa returned to the classroom to earn a degree in Secondary Education. Since that time, she worked as a Corporate Trainer, Secondary English Teacher, Creative Writing Instructor, and Dramatic Arts Teacher.

Following her retirement, Lisa has spent the past 6 years as a caregiver for her grandsons. She has had the honor of serving as the President of the Seton Hill Alumni Association, Chairperson of the Seton Hill Reunion Committee, Adult Literacy Instructor in Westmoreland County, and Instructor/ Curriculum Developer for the Diocese of Greensburg. Lisa believes that without exception, love wins. Love one another, the rest will follow!
Mary Clemency, MD

Mary Clemency, MD

Mary Clemency received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and her medical degree from Northwestern University. She has practiced medicine for 40 years, first as an internist and then as an anesthesiologist—in private, academic, and managed care settings, in clinical as well as administrative roles. Dr. Clemency has participated in medical missions in Latin America, served as anesthesia lead for Operation Access in her community hospital. After serving as the clinical director and associate chief of anesthesia at a large inner-city hospital, she pursued theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.

In addition to her medical work, she has served as a retreat facilitator and spiritual director, and as member of a Medical Reserve Corp Unit, the Advisory Council for the College of Science at Notre Dame, and the Boards of Trustees for the School of Applied Theology and the Jesuit School of Theology.
Amos Fon

Amos Fon

Amos Fon’s career spans over 35 years in the social economy; credit unions management, non-profits and University teaching in Cameroon. His passion came into focus with the founding of African Dream in 2010. African Dream is a social business with the mission to develop potentials; empower youths, women and communities to assume responsibility for their livelihood challenges.

Amos holds Professional Diplomas in Accounting and Management from the UK and a Masters in Development Economics, specializing in Micro-enterprise Development from Southern New Hampshire University - USA. He is a Fellow of the Microfinance Association in London.

Born and raised in Bamenda, Cameroon, Amos challenged enormous setbacks to emerge as a mentor and a role model to thousands of young people through his inspirational works and talks. He is extremely passionate about the development challenges of Sub-Saharan Africa, with research interests in wealth creation and microfinance as a veritable development intervention. Amos is currently working on creating a network of Youth Economic Empowerment Groups in Cameroon.
Joe Girot

Joe Girot

Joe Girot served in the U.S. Army as an Engineer Officer for 10 years of active duty and with the U.S. Army Reserve for a combined total of 30 years of service. He retired in 2011 with the rank of Colonel. He has served in Bagram, Afghanistan, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Saudi Arabia, supporting Operation Desert Shield/Storm. He also retired from the federal government in Aug 2020, after serving with numerous key federal agencies.

Joe is an active member of Living Word Pentecostal Church and serves as the Head Usher and Security Manager. In January 2016, he received the highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a “Kentucky Colonel” by Governor Matthew G. Bevin. Joe served as a member of the Henry County, Georgia, Police Department as a Reserve Police Officer for nine years and as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office for one year. He is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) and a member of the International Association of Emergency Managers. His education credentials include a Bachelor of Science, from the University of Turabo and Associate Degree in Civil Engineering from the Technological University of Ponce, Puerto Rico. He has an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA, with a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies.
Timi Griffin

Timi Griffin

Timi Griffin's career has followed a unique trajectory across a diversity of industries. She began her professional journey as a talk radio reporter and producer before transitioning to a career concentrated on behavioral therapy and mental health programs administration. She shifted her focus to organizational development (OD) and talent management (TM), going on to enjoy a successful 20+ year career in the field.

Timi worked in multiple industries and various corporations--large and small, public and private-- where she focused on leading global teams in the OD and TM spaces. Her industry expertise has allowed her to make a significant impact as an executive and leadership coach to senior and emerging leaders. Timi earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, as well as an MSW and a BA from Louisiana State University. She is an avid reader who enjoys exploring and taking on new challenges..She enjoys performance and visual art, visiting museums and galleries, adding to her own art collection and spending time with family.
Gail Maguire

Gail Maguire

Gail Maguire was born and raised in the Washington D.C. area in a home with an emphasis on education. Her father, a product of the " Great Depression," was a Civil Engineer who worked for the U.S. Government for 40 years. Providing an education for his three daughters was his greatest accomplishment.

Gail earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Franciscan University and dedicated her career to that same value of education. During Gail’s years as an educator, she taught in various settings and to students of all ages with diverse backgrounds and needs. Most recently, she became a certified Mental Health Instructor and taught Mental Health First Aid to nurses, teachers, law enforcement, and other professionals raising awareness of mental health challenges and reducing the stigma associated with it.

Gail enjoys travel, reading, learning new things, and meeting new people. One of her most memorable travel experiences is walking the El Camino Santiago. She practices yoga and Tai Chi, and open-water swims in the Gulf of Mexico. Gail raised five children, has ten grandchildren, and has lived in Clearwater, Fl for 45 years.
Julia Marlowe

Julia Marlowe

Julia grew up in Mt. Vernon, IL in a family of five children. Her mother was a custom dressmaker, who worked from home, while her father worked in a garment factory. Julia served as a corporate officer in the financial savings and lending industry for several years. Volunteering introduced her to what would become a 20-year career in fundraising and executive management, initially at a college. Her career then transitioned to the healthcare sector, where she served on the senior leadership team of a regional healthcare system. Her most recent professional venture brought her into private practice as a leadership and executive coach.

She earned a BBA at Fontbonne University and coach accreditation at Georgetown University. In retirement, the music ministry of her parish and supporting women’s education have been her focus. She has now turned her attention to discovering what is next.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Todd McGregor

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Todd McGregor

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Todd McGregor has served as an Episcopal missionary for 30 years in Madagascar and Kenya. He was elected and consecrated Missionary Bishop in December, 2006, with the purpose of starting a new Diocese of Toliara, Madagascar. In 2013, he was elected as the first diocesan Bishop of Toliara. He oversaw the strategic plan, development, growth, and administrative needs throughout the diocese and was chief pastor for more than 10,000 Anglicans, 15 clergy, 20 evangelists and 110 widely-dispersed congregations. Prior to his election, McGregor served as Director of Evangelism and Mission in a remote mission area of Marsabit, Kenya. His responsibility was setting up and implementing growth in the northern part of the diocese.

Ordained as a Priest in the Anglican Diocese of Antananarivo in 1997, McGregor served in a variety of capacities, including starting a new international church, Director of Evangelism and Mission in the diocese, partnering with SAHASOA to start 10 medical clinics, and planning and implementing a school for evangelism in the country’s capital. Bishop McGregor has a DMIN from Gordon Conwell, a MDIV from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a BA from Roberts Wesleyan. Todd and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Patricia McGregor (Patsy), live in Hobe Sound, FL, and have two adult children.
Paul Morlock

Paul Morlock

Paul Morlock enjoyed a 40+ year career as a healthcare executive, most recently as the Vice President of Human Resources and Occupational Health at Children’s Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, VA. He previously served as the Vice President of Human Resources for the Atrium Healthcare System - Stanly in Albemarle, N.C. He is passionate about strategic human resources leadership through the application of quality and systems practices, and is proud to have implemented these concepts in the organizations where he has had the privilege of working.

He is blessed with three children, one daughter and two sons, and two grandchildren. He enjoys reading, the theater, and engaging in physical fitness activities, including basketball, walking and running. Since converting to Catholicism, his faith has been strengthened and deepened by the traditions and those who have shared their faith life with him. Paul earned a B.S. in psychology and biology from Luther College and his Masters of Hospital Administration from the University of
Iowa.
Rev. Paul Novak, OSM

Rev. Paul Novak, OSM

Rev. Paul Novak, OSM, recently completed his 14th year as the President of De La Salle Institute, a Catholic and Lasallian co-educational secondary school in the city of Chicago. All together, Fr. Paul has served Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Chicago at De La Salle Institute for 23 years. Since 1999, Fr. Novak has been a weekend minister at Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago performing countless liturgical celebrations and numerous weddings. He has served on the boards of Lewis University, Mercy Foundation, Old St. Mary's School, Near South Planning Board. As a Friar, Servant of Mary (Servite), he served as Parochial Vicar, the Director of Vocation Ministry, and the Vicar Provincial for the parish of St. Domitilla in Hillside, IL.

He has traveled extensively to Israel, England, Italy, Ireland, Slovenia, France, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Fr. Novak graduated from Saint Louis University with a B.A. in Communication and Advertising. He received his M. Div. from Catholic Theological Union and has completed coursework for an M.Ed. from Dominican University.

His additional interests include: golf, skiing, biking, walking, reading, music, sports, travel. Fr. Novak is grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Inspired Leadership Initiative and to be joining the Notre Dame community. As a kid from the steel mills of Chicago's south side, this is a dream come true.
Bonnie O'Connor, PA-C

Bonnie O'Connor, PA-C

Bonnie O’Connor has dedicated her career as a Physician Assistant to the treatment and surgical care of orthopedic spine patients. From initial diagnosis, patient education, and intra-operative surgical care, she was an integral part of a successful orthopedic spine surgery practice. Since 2004, while working as a surgical PA and raising her twin boys, Bonnie took on the additional role of Administrator of Spine Care Delaware, an ambulatory surgery center treating more than 7,000 patients per year. Bonnie’s career has incorporated all aspects of healthcare business management and government compliance, while continuing to provide excellent clinical care to her patients.

Bonnie earned her B.S. and Physician Assistant degrees from King’s College, completed a Physician Assistant surgical residency program through Yale University, and obtained a master’s degree in Clinical Leadership from George Washington University. A native of Pennsylvania, Bonnie has called Delaware home for the past thirty years.
David Tank

David Tank

David Tank grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa, attended Colgate University (BA 1981) and the University of Iowa Law School (JD 1984). After graduation from law school, he was continuously engaged in a busy civil trial practice until his retirement from Dorsey & Whitney at the end of June 2021. Over the years, David handled cases involving diverse areas of law, concentrating on complex business litigation. Since his “retirement” from the full-time practice of law, he has devoted substantial time working, pro bono, for death penalty defendants in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.

David has been married to his wife, Randi, since 1988. They have two adult children, Joe (31) and Katie (29).
Marcia Vieira da Motta, DDS, Ph.D., JD

Marcia Vieira da Motta, DDS, Ph.D., JD

A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Marcia has had many careers throughout her life, as a university professor, Ph.D. scientist, academic manager, and for the last many years, as a healthcare lawyer. Her key areas of interest were education, health sciences and policy, and law and social justice, with an emphasis on healthcare. She received her DDS and MS from the University of São Paulo and her Ph.D. in Oral Biology from Indiana University. After having worked as the academic and managing dean of a dental school that she helped co-found, and having lectured to and mentored countless graduate students at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School, she pursued her JD and began practicing medical law. Her area of focus in this capacity centered around aiding underprivileged individuals whose medical care was denied by HMOs or the government health system. She is the proud mother of a son who studied at the Holy Cross School in São Paulo.
Cheng Wang

Cheng Wang

Born amidst the "Anti-Rightist Campaign" in the late 1950s in China and raised during the Cultural Revolution, Cheng's upbringing perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the Mao era. During those years, knowledge was considered poison to the soul. By heeding the highest call of the times, Cheng became an "Educated Youth," descending into a secluded Inner Mongolia village for "re-education."

More than one generation was devastated by the Cultural Revolution except for a handful of people who transcended the many socioeconomic barriers. Be it by fate or personality, Cheng was one of them. However, after college, he had more unanswered questions, which drove him to a new quest for Western ideas in America with two hundred dollars and a desire to understand the doubts that had grown within him.

Cheng became a Ph.D. candidate in economics at the University of Cincinnati, Principal Member of Tech Staff at AT&T, and most recently, an author of From Tea to Coffee: The Journey of "an Educated Youth."
Timothy Weber

Timothy Weber

Tim Weber grew up in Holland, Michigan. After graduating from Notre Dame with a business degree, he served in the Navy for 33 years specializing in healthcare administration with duty stations located in Washington D.C., North Carolina, California, and Japan, where he served in positions that included legislative affairs, health plan policy and management for the Department of Defense, and commanded U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan. He deployed to Afghanistan as the senior advisor to the Afghan National Police healthcare system and its Surgeon General. Prior to his military retirement in 2022, he commanded Naval Medical Forces Pacific. In this role, he had direct oversight of Naval hospitals and medical research and development laboratories located in 12 countries that focused on health care delivery and Navy Medicine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic across the Pacific Rim. Following ILI, Tim joined Notre Dame’s Eck Institute for Global Health as the Associate Director. He earned his Master of Science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA.
Edward White

Edward White

Ed White is a former career Foreign Service Officer (the U.S. Diplomatic Service.) From 2017-2019, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Beirut. More recently, he served in Washington as a State Department Advisor at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. Earlier assignments included Deputy Director of the State Department’s Office of Levant Affairs; the United States Mission to NATO in Brussels; and U.S. Embassies in Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, and Caracas. Ed earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. After graduating from Notre Dame, Ed served for four years as an officer in the U.S. Army. He also is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law and practiced public finance and construction law before joining the Foreign Service.
Mary Joan Wilcoxen

Mary Joan Wilcoxen

Mary Joan was born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago and attended college at University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana where she earned a BFA in Art Education and a minor in Spanish. She also earned a Master’s in Spanish at Middlebury College. She and her husband raised their family in New Jersey, enjoying the myriad cultural and entertaining opportunities that New York City offered. Mary Joan taught Spanish at the high-school level for 23 years. To say that she loved her job is an understatement. She loved teaching, adored her students and treasured the relationships that she had with them. Fortunately, she was able to introduce her students to the beauty of various Spanish-speaking peoples and their cultures through organizing student trips to Spain, Perú and Ecuador. After completing their careers, Mary Joan and her husband moved to southwest Michigan, where they are looking forward to enjoying the beauty and peacefulness of the “third coast” and hope to travel to other Spanish-speaking countries. Mary Joan enjoys bike riding and sewing in her free time.
William Wittland

William Wittland

Bill Wittland has enjoyed an exceptionally diverse and exceedingly rewarding career. He served as a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan for nearly ten years, doing parish ministry, criminal justice work, social justice advocacy, and speaking and publishing activity. He transitioned to a career in business marketing communications, beginning as an agency copywriter and becoming a senior leader and partner at a succession of agencies serving North American and global clients. For the past 15 years, Mr. Wittland has led Vox Strategic, a firm he launched as a brand communications and product development consultancy. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Assistance Center, the Empowerment Institute, and is the Communications Officer for Design at Business, a global association promoting innovation through Design Thinking.
Luis Eduardo Zavala de Alba

Luis Eduardo Zavala de Alba

Luis Eduardo Zavala de Alba has dedicated his work, and research to international human rights and policy. He is the Founder and Executive Director of “Casa Monarca. Ayuda Humanitaria al Migrante A.B.P.” which is a migrant shelter based in Monterrey, Mexico. Its mission is to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people while defending their human rights. The shelter started as an initiative to address the migration crisis in the region by giving food and water in the train routes. The non-profit organization grew and has received support from international organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Catholic Relief Services, Ayuda en Accion from the Spanish Agency for Development and International Organization for Migration (IOM) to continue helping migrants, refugees and internally displaced people.

In 2007, Luis participated in the twelve editions of the Course on Diplomacy and International Procedures in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2019 he was invited as a guest speaker to the Ninth session of the United Nations Conference against Transnational Organized Crime defending human rights of migrants through the two protocols of the Convention. Luis Eduardo earned a Master’s Degree in International Human Rights Law at the University of Essex, and a Ph.D. in International Law at the Gregorian University.

2021-22

Nicholas T. Bard

Nicholas T. Bard

Tom Bard's degree in electrical engineering provided entry to the Navy Nuclear Submarine program, then to business school and ultimately, he enjoyed a 43-year career in real estate investment, development, and management. Mr. Bard was actively involved in a variety of geographical markets and all types of commercial properties: office, industrial, retail, apartments, and condominiums. He was a partner in three different businesses—the last of which was ScanlanKemperBard Companies—before retiring in 2014 in Portland, OR. Although Mr. Bard acknowledges real estate is generally thought to be dealing in hard assets, a rewarding, challenging and enjoyable aspect of the business for him was the fascinating diversity of people he encountered. He says he never thought that he had a job. After retirement, he has contributed to the development and ongoing management of PDX Commons, the senior cohousing project where he lives.
Julienne Bollerud

Julienne Bollerud

Julienne Bollerud was born a “Maineiac” but has lived in seven other places. She settled into a public high school in Washington, D.C., with the Washington Post and the Smithsonian rounding out her education. She began her career in food service before working at Microsoft and earning an MBA. After leaving Microsoft, she apprenticed with a dog trainer and obtained the necessary credits for her CPA. She also passed the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) exam. She worked at a Seattle accounting firm until leaving to care for an ailing relative. When she returned, she served as a forensic accountant at the FBI until moving to New Hampshire in “retirement,” but now looks forward to the next stage of her very diverse career.
Michael Boyce

Michael Boyce

1949-2022

Mike Boyce’s Marine Corps career included several command and senior level executive assignments. He deployed for operational and expeditionary campaigns to Korea, Iraq, and Somalia. He was a member of several national veterans’ organizations. Post retirement, Mr. Boyce worked in programs in Macedonia and Iraq. As chairman of Cobb County, GA, from 2017-20, he funded additional green spaces, increased compensation and benefits for all employees, added Veterans Day as a county holiday, and guided the county through a turbulent 2020. Mr. Boyce was an active member of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church and served three years as the director of the men’s ministry. His volunteer work included Habitat for Humanity and mission trips both in the United States and abroad.
Michael Burton

Michael Burton

Mike Burton was raised in Elmhurst, a Chicago suburb. After graduating from college in 1982, he moved to St. Louis for law school and has never left. He became a public defender and then a private criminal defense attorney, doing significant death penalty representation. He also worked as a guardian ad litem, representing abused and neglected children. In 1999, he was appointed to be a judge in the St. Louis County Circuit Court and has spent considerable time focusing on better ways for the circuit to address domestic violence and juvenile issues. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he became presiding judge. Mr. Burton and his wife, Sheila, started Join Hands ESL in 1990. Through programming, mentoring, and private education, the organization has served thousands of children in East St. Louis, IL.
Joanna Cote Thurman

Joanna Cote Thurman

Joanna Cote is a three-time Ironman triathlete, a high school cross country and track coach, and an avid outdoor enthusiast. She is a passionate believer that the combined power of sports and nature can change lives, and with it “anything is possible.” After spending 15 years working in team management in Silicon Valley’s high-tech industry at start-ups, including Cisco Systems and ROLM Corporation, she turned her interests to community service and athletics. As such, Ms. Cote has partnered with Homeboy Industries to develop a program integrating running, hiking, yoga, and mindfulness into the lives of formerly incarcerated and gang-involved men, women, and youth. She is a Yoga Alliance certified instructor, facilitator with the Prison Yoga Project, and also involved with Play Like A Champion Today. Ms. Cote has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master's degree in sports leadership.
Richard Dunn

Richard Dunn

Rick Dunn has lived his entire life in Florida—outside of his four years in college—and fittingly, was born in Coral Gables during a hurricane. His parents emphasized leadership and, as the oldest of six children, Mr. Dunn learned early on the importance of leadership and he has continued to exhibit leadership throughout his life, both in career and family. After earning a business marketing degree and completing the ROTC program, Mr. Dunn entered Law School. Following active duty, he became a federal public defender, worked in the Florida Legislature, and then became a civil trial lawyer. He worked in several firms and ultimately established his own firm that specialized in business litigation (defending corporations from lawsuits). He personally tried over 40 cases to verdict—most notably the largest aviation case in the U.S—before retiring in 2018. Mr Dunn is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Kathy Garbarino

Kathy Garbarino

Kathy Garbarino is the oldest of seven. She entered the convent in ninth grade, going home for a time to help with family needs, but returning after high school. After three years, she left again to pursue social justice issues and family life. Ms Garbarino has a bachelor’s in social work and a master’s in theology. She initially served as a childcare worker in a group home for young boys. Later, she worked with the Team for Justice at Wayne County Youth Home, and then for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. She was recruited by Planned Parenthood, where she served as the associate director. Then she moved to Catholic Healthcare, where she held several positions—first at an inner city hospital as the marketing director, then in the long term care division as the vice president of mission. Ms. Garbarino lived in Detroit for over 40 years before retiring to St Joseph, MI.
Clementine Gwoswar

Clementine Gwoswar

Clementine Gwoswar earned a bachelor’s degree in public health from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, a master’s degree in community health and development from the Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development at the University of Great Lakes - Democratic Republic of Congo, and diplomas in midwifery and general nursing from the Kenya Medical Training College. She has additional training in consulting and completed the Strategic Leadership and Development Program at the Kenya School of Government. Ms. Gwoswar specialized in community health strategy, service, and delivery during her distinguished career, working for Kenya’s Ministry of Health as county chief nursing officer, regional public health nurse leader, provincial logistician of the immunization program, and coordinator of the Continuing Professional Development Program. A part-time University lecturer, Ms. Gwoswar participated in two international research networks and contributed to the book Revitalizing Health for All: Case Studies of the Struggle for Comprehensive Primary Health Care.
Margaret Higgins, PhD

Margaret Higgins, PhD

Margaret Higgins currently serves as the inaugural Director of Mission Integration in the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education at Santa Clara University. Her post is a vocational surprise animated by her participation in Notre Dame's Inspired Leadership Initiative.

Ms. Higgins’ career has spanned three decades of c-suite and senior leadership in Catholic secondary and higher education, with over fifteen years in Jesuit education. She has served in executive positions in student affairs, administration, and development, including as President/CEO of Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School. In each role, Margaret has worked with members of the educational community and external stakeholders to ensure that mission, student success, and sustainability are all equally achieved. Placing a particular emphasis on first generation students and their families, she has inspired a commitment to the holistic development of graduates and future leaders.

Ms. Higgins earned her B.S. in communication disorders from the College of Saint Rose, a M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from Springfield College, and a Ph.D. in educational administration and policy from The Catholic University of America. Her dissertation researched the transformational behaviors of Catholic university presidents in the development of vision.
Patrick Horvath

Patrick Horvath

Patrick Horvath is an attorney by training and worked for almost 13 years as the associate director of the Urban Justice Center, a civil legal services program in New York City that provides legal assistance to single homeless adults. Patrick and his family moved to Denver, Colo., in 2000, and for 21 years he was a program officer and director at The Denver Foundation, the main community foundation for the region. He directed the foundation's Strengthening Neighborhoods Program, a grassroots community development program, for 11 years, and developed and directed the foundation's Economic Opportunity program area for 10 years. He also served in various leadership roles before leaving the foundation at the end of 2020. Following his ILI fellowship, Mr. Horvath took a position in 2022 as the Administrative Officer of Center for Community Wealth Building, which builds the economic strength of disinvested communities. He is an active board member of CEDS Finance, a community development financial institution that provides access to entrepreneurs and business owners who do not have access to traditional capital sources.
Michele Kellrooney

Michele Kellrooney

Michele Kellrooney was born in Akron, Ohio. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and worked in dinner theaters, summer stock, and touring theaters. After marrying and moving to Chicago, Ms Kellrooney was employed as education coordinator at libraries, nature centers, science museums and returned to school for education. She earned a B.S. and M.Ed. and taught in the Nashville Public Schools until her next relocation—this time to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Three moves and three teaching positions later, she was accepted into the Inspired Leadership Initiative. This time of transformation led to service in Kolongo, Uganda and Sitka, Alaska. She is now teaching in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
John Lawton

John Lawton

John Lawton, a native of South Bend, returned home after 60 years in the Prairie State. Most of his life was spent in the Chicago area where he enjoyed a diverse career, working the last 30 years in the medical equipment industry. His experience spans the gamut of publicly traded to privately held companies, national brands to individually owned businesses. In this highly competitive and regulated industry, Mr. Lawton held senior level positions with multi-site responsibility in operations and general management. He holds a B.A. in math from Saint Louis University and earned an MBA from Northern Illinois University. His loyalty to and love of Notre Dame is rooted in a 130-year family affiliation with the University.
Ana Lawton

Ana Lawton

Ana Lawton was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the United States, a refugee, at the age of four. She grew up in the Chicago area and lived there most of her life. She now resides in Mishawaka, Indiana. She has both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Dominican University. She retired in 2020 from a 43-year career in Accounting, Finance, and Financial Systems, specializing in Business Analytics software for the last twenty years. She is a CPA and is also certified in Project Management and Change Management. A cancer survivor, she has participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night campaign, raising funds for blood cancer research. She was a member of Toastmasters International for four years, during which she competed in several speech competitions. Currently, Ana is pursuing a lifelong interest in writing and hopes to someday publish a novel.
Dr. Hugh F. Lena III

Dr. Hugh F. Lena III

1948-2025

Hugh Lena was emeritus provost and professor of sociology at Providence College in Providence, RI. He stepped down from the chief academic officer position in 2020 after serving in that capacity for 16 years, and served over 50 years in a faculty position. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1970, and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Connecticut. In 2020, he received an honorary doctorate in higher education from Providence College. Lena edited two books, contributed several book chapters, and had articles published in The American Sociologist, The International Journal of Health Services, and Contemporary Sociology among others. He was awarded prestigious fellowships from the Institute of Human Values in Health Care, the National Science Foundation, and the Endowment for the Humanities.
Patrick Mannion

Patrick Mannion

Patrick Mannion’s career has straddled business and community service. His business career was in life and health insurance, industry roles at the national and state levels, board leadership roles in local not-for-profits, health care institutions, and businesses. He was also appointed to numerous government sponsored initiatives in health care, transportation, and economic development. He stepped down from active business in 2020 and is active today on business, hospital, and not-for-profit boards. Mr. Mannion is also a firefighter, EMT, and officer of Fayetteville Fire & EMS (New York). He is involved in multiple Catholic organizations including his parish, the Partners in Franciscan Ministries with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Timothy McDermott

Timothy McDermott

Tim McDermott has lived in the northwest suburbs of Chicago for more than 30 years. During that time, he has had a diverse career path, from practicing as a litigation partner in a large law firm to executing in-house legal and regulatory roles in the financial markets to, most recently, leading a regulated exchange and clearinghouse as its CEO, overseeing areas of technology, marketing, sales, legal, regulatory, risk, finance, and operations. In addition, over the past several years, he has become active in an angel investing group, IrishAngels, served on for-profit and not-for-profit boards and charitable organizations, and been active in his local parish. Mr. McDermott holds degrees in accounting and law.
Michael Mullen

Michael Mullen

1939-2024

Mike Mullen was a practicing attorney for over 50 years. He began his legal career serving as a junior counsel to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and then as the chief counsel to the Consumer Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce. After working in private practice for a Washington, D.C., firm for several years, Mr. Mullen returned to North Dakota to work on a health care reform project and then became an assistant attorney general and legal advisor to several state agencies and the state hospital. He was also an adjunct professor of health care law at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. Earlier, he served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Mullen enjoyed a little skiing and a lot of tennis.
Sr. Chukwuka Okpala-Anaechedo, DDL

Sr. Chukwuka Okpala-Anaechedo, DDL

Sr. Chukwuka arrived in the United States in 2017, from Nigeria, where she served as a school teacher in Catholic schools from 1978 to 2005 and retired as a principal. For her it was an exciting career—watching girls she had admitted as tender innocent kids transform into young teenagers was an experience that brought great joy to her life—and those girls taught her more than she taught them. She learned how to be more humane, discerning, compassionate, and observant. All in all, Sr. Chukwuka found her career to be fulfilling and challenging, as she considered herself a type of architect: of human mind, character, and destiny. She looks forward to the ILI year as an opportunity to reinvent herself with the goal of creating a new form of service to the society.
David Pusateri

David Pusateri

Dave Pusateri was the former deputy managing partner of McGuireWoods' corporate practice, where he was responsible for 500 transaction attorneys in one of America’s largest law firms. He was also the former managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Pittsburgh office for ten years. Prior to merging with McGuireWoods in 2001, he was a founding partner and the managing partner of the Pittsburgh firm of Sable Pusateri Rosen Gordon & Adams, LLC. Mr. Pusateri was also previously vice president and associate general counsel of Robertson-Ceco Corporation. Concentrating his practice in environmental, real estate, and business law, his practice covers the spectrum of environmental claims, problems, and real estate development issues. He began his legal career clerking for a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Thomas Reynolds

Thomas Reynolds

Tom Reynolds has had a career as consultant to senior executives in the areas of executive talent management and development, supply chain management, operations strategy and transformation, and board advisory. He has served hundreds of clients in a variety of industries including industrial/automotive, consumer products, retail, high tech, health care, and pharmaceuticals. Most recently, he served as partner and global practice leader at Egon Zehnder, specializing in executive talent management, development, search, and coaching. Previously, he led major consulting practices at Capgemini, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Deloitte. Earlier, he worked as a production control specialist at General Electric and a mechanical engineer with IBM. Mr. Reynolds holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance and international business. He is a longtime resident of Atlanta and enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including camping, biking, skiing, and fishing.
Kenneth Wendeln

Kenneth Wendeln

Ken Wendeln continues to be inspired by the advice and actions of his father: learn from the best and leave some time to give back to others. As such, he seeks education and life-enhancing opportunities. In business, that has meant roles of leadership, encouragement, sponsorship, and sometimes the redirection of others. He has worked for Honeywell, Gould, Siemens, Square D, Landis+Gyr, and Spirent. After closing an international business career spanning 33 years, six companies, and eight locales on two continents, Mr. Wendeln began living the ‘give back’ advice. By combining his academic training with cross-functional business experiences, he holds a teaching professor (emeritus) role at the Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis to lead in the classroom and coach others for meaningful professional growth.
Eric Wiechart

Eric Wiechart

Eric Wiechart grew up in a family-owned business. He also grew up in a blue-collar Irish/Italian neighborhood that considered Notre Dame the pinnacle. So the community inspired him to work academically to achieve a degree from Our Lady’s University. Rebelling from his youth, he chased “big” business, eventually realizing that, for him, joy came from small business. Mr. Wiechart sincerely believes small business is the economic, social, and cultural backbone of our society. He believes wholeheartedly that to provide meaningful work is the greatest success achievable in life. He looks forward to the challenges life offers in his next career and believes the Inspired Leadership Initiative will promote heading into this next chapter fully armed.
Mary Ellen Woods

Mary Ellen Woods

1958-2024

Mary Ellen Woods held technology leadership roles with Inland Steel, Stone Container Corporation, Brunswick, and Veolia Water North America—as well as her own technology strategy consulting firm. She led organizations that transformed businesses in measurable and significant ways. The granddaughter of a coal miner and a New York City cab driver, she focused her service work on helping young people gain access to education. She was vice president of the Notre Dame Club of Chicago’s Scholarship Foundation and a board member of i.c.stars|*—a rigorous technology-based workforce development and leadership training program for underserved adults. She was a resident of Chicago, IL. Ms. Woods earned a B.A. in government from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Public Policy with a focus on finance from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
During her time as a fellow, Ms. Woods wrote for The Observer, and continued to write for various Notre Dame organizations, including ILI, until her passing in August 2024.

2019-20

Karen Cunningham

Karen Cunningham

Karen Cunningham led a successful career in marketing and brand management, primarily in the consumer packaged goods and foodservice industries. She worked for Pet, Inc. and The Pillsbury Company in progressive brand management roles for various grocery and frozen brands, including Häagen-Dazs ice cream and novelties. Most recently, she led product development, marketing and creative strategy, creative development and execution, and menu development and engineering for Steak n Shake Enterprises, Inc. Ms. Cunningham serves on the board of Paws & Think, a dog therapy organization, and she and her dog Archie, work as a therapy team. She earned a B.S. in business administration from the University of Kansas and an M.B.A. in marketing from Indiana University.
Cathy David

Cathy David

Cathy David is a lifelong student of leadership and organizational behavior. Before joining the ILI, she retired as an executive vice president at Pier 1 Imports. She has been president of multiple companies and led the team that launched target.com. She has owned a restaurant, co-founded a social and sports league, and raised and raced thoroughbred horses. Currently she is having fun as the President of Merchandising at World Market and has the broad responsibility of leading the team that buys all the products sold in store and online for the brand. Born in Queens NY, Cathy has lived in 8 states and traveled to all 7 continents. She has been featured in the Fort Worth Business CEO Magazine, chaired the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce International Committee for many years, and served as a Regent at the University of Portland. She is currently a member of the Undergraduate Experience Advisory Council at Notre Dame and a Board member for Volunteers of America Texas. She received her B.B.A. in marketing from the University of Notre Dame and her M.B.A. from Northwestern University.
Gloria Fleming

Gloria Fleming

Gloria Fleming led a successful career in pediatric physical therapy for 42 years. She held senior positions in several general and children's hospitals in the Philadelphia and South Jersey areas. Ms. Fleming was also an independent contractor for several public and private school districts, in addition to providing pediatric home care for 10 years. She is entering her 10th year as a host committee member for The Cooper Foundation, which sponsors an annual fundraiser for breast and gynecological cancers. She is also actively involved in a minority faith-based cancer support group sponsored by MD Anderson at Cooper. Ms. Fleming earned a B.A. in biology from Immaculata College, a Physical Therapy Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Science in Administration from the University of Notre Dame.
John Gallagher

John Gallagher

John Gallagher, an international finance executive, has lived and worked on three continents, Asia, Europe, and North America, where he has helped to build or maintain brokerage businesses for such firms as Morgan Stanley, Kidder Peabody, and Shearson Lehman. For the last dozen years, he has run an independent third-party fund distribution business largely out of Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. Gallagher has deep expertise in building successful securities businesses, and for more than 15 years has maintained a particular focus on alternative investments. The former college basketball player, who earned his B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame, enjoyed an almost decade-long career as a player and coach for teams in France and in Switzerland, where he completed a French language program and earned an M.B.A. at Université de Lausanne before embarking on a 40-year brokerage career. At the end of his ILI year, Mr. Gallagher will proudly celebrate his 50th Class Reunion at Notre Dame.
Patricia Lefevere

Patricia Lefevere

1943-2023

From her early days on a family farm in Minnesota, Patricia Lefevere always held an interest in the wider world, a passion that served her well as a globe-trotting journalist who traveled to some 70 countries and reported stories from six continents, covering everything from the United Nations and the Vatican to the plight of refugees in war-torn regions and the everyday workings of local government offices. Her award-winning work appeared in multiple publications in the United States, Europe and Asia. Ms. Lefevere enjoyed opportunities to meet and interview several Nobel Peace Prize laureates and to lecture at a number of universities. She earned her B.A. in journalism and political science from Marquette University and her Masters in Drama from the United Kingdom's University of Essex, Colchester.
Eileen Lindburg

Eileen Lindburg

Eileen Lindburg was a co-owner of CBRE-Albany, the largest commercial real estate brokerage firm in the Albany, New York region, and its first female broker. Throughout her career, she assisted small businesses and international corporations in their site selection, lease negotiations, acquisitions, and disposition of the properties used for their businesses. Ms. Lindburg's background prior to real estate included working in commercial lending for Marine Midland Bank, serving as chief financial officer for a family construction business, and working in corporate finance for the Wall Street firm Salomon Brothers. Her community and non-profit service work included stints with Equinox, The Nature Conservancy of Eastern New York, the Albany Academy for Girls, Tech Valley High School, and the regional chamber of commerce. She earned her B.A. in sociology from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN, and an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester.
William Miller

William Miller

Bill Miller worked in financial management in the food industry for Cargill, Incorporated, General Foods Corporation, and Oscar Mayer and Co. He began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Minneapolis and completed it as a CPA in private practice. Mr. Miller's passion for fighting food insecurity led him to serve on the boards of food banks in Wichita, Minneapolis, and St. Paul. In addition, he taught in a Minneapolis church's HopeMakers program and co-founded Pathways, a program that helps people living in economic poverty develop faith-based life skills. Mr. Miller and his wife, Ann, have four children and eleven grandchildren, and he enjoys an active lifestyle that includes teaching spin classes. He earned his B.A. in economics from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
After ILI, Bill and other members of the Second Cohort founded Imago Dei at Notre Dame. Imago Dei works to increase awareness, education, and scholarship at Notre Dame on the issues of human trafficking. He also serves the US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking in various capacities and is their Treasurer. Bill walked the Camino Frances and has enjoyed traveling with Ann, watching grandchildren grow, and acquiring Luxembourg citizenship, likely being the only Luxembourger you know.
Juliana Otieno, M.D.

Juliana Otieno, M.D.

Juliana Otieno grew up on a Kenyan sugarcane farm, traveling eight miles to attend school as a child. Her passion for education ultimately led her to earn a medical degree from the University of Nairobi before embarking on an accomplished three-decade career in public health, one that challenged her to work as the only pediatrician in an area and to serve as chief executive officer of Western Kenya's largest public teaching and referral hospital. Dr. Otieno worked with colleagues to obtain a grant to enable them to open the first public HIV clinic at the hospital in Kisumu, Kenya and tackle an urgent public health crisis. Despite her busy schedule, Dr. Otieno continued to teach and mentor students throughout her career before retiring in 2018.
Charles Pine

Charles Pine

Charly Pine and his wife, Jodie, set out as a young couple to live in China as agents of transformation. More than 20 years later, they returned to the United States realizing how deeply they had been changed by their cross-cultural experiences. Mr. Pine's commitment to learning and honoring the Chinese language and culture opened doors for him as he pursued a career in higher education, including his role as a founding director of the New Century Language and Culture Center. He and his family later moved to China's Gansu Province, where he conducted advanced ethnographic research among Muslim ethnic minorities, an experience that inspired him to serve as an interfaith peacemaker. Mr. Pine earned his B.A. from the University of Missouri and his M.A. in Chinese language and culture from the University of Kansas.
Orlando Rodriguez

Orlando Rodriguez

Born in Cuba and educated in the United States, Orlando Rodriguez enjoyed a 30-year career in international commercial banking that took him across Latin America. He pursued multiple businesses, lived in Panama City and Caracas, and travelled extensively, especially in Brazil. Mr. Rodriguez most recently worked in a corporate finance boutique that provides advisory services to small-to-medium businesses. For the past decade, he has participated in Kairos Prison Ministry International. In addition, he had translated and annotated his father's autobiography, written 24 short stories and a three-act play, is developing a historical fiction novel, and enjoys competitive ballroom dancing. Mr. Rodriguez earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. in economics from Stanford University.
William Schenher

William Schenher

William Schenher has enjoyed a distinguished career in banking and corporate treasury. After beginning with residential construction lending at Banc One in the Midwest, he relocated to Silicon Valley, where he worked in various roles in corporate treasury. He rose through the ranks of various companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Brocade, and Fujitsu America, before ultimately building and leading his own treasury departments. Mr. Schenher helped manage the HP-Compaq integration and guide treasuries through the economic turmoil of 2001 and 2008. After 20 years in corporate treasury, he returned to Indiana to focus on family and turn his attentions to his local community center, where he enjoys working to enrich the experiences of the adaptive members of the community. Mr. Schenher received his B.A. in government and economics from the University of Notre Dame and his M.B.A. from Purdue University.
Victoria Seeger

Victoria Seeger

Vickie Seeger served in several leadership roles over the course of her 34-year career with General Reinsurance Corporation. Most recently, she worked as regional underwriting officer in North American treaty reinsurance operations, where she led underwriting and actuarial teams in establishing, maintaining and implementing underwriting and pricing protocols. Prior to that she held the position ofÂ chief underwriting officer of the group's insurance operations. Her areas of expertise include business analytics, operational excellence, product development, and regulation. Ms. Seeger has also served on several boards and has been active with insurance industry advocacy organizations. She earned her B.A. in management and economics from Luther College and her M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas.
Cari Shein

Cari Shein

Cari Shein owns Shein Realty, where for the past 30 years she has acted as principal in manufactured and modular home subdivision and park development, and in the rehabilitation and trade of small commercial properties. Additionally, she held active roles in her family's manufacturing business, the Commodore Corporation, a national supplier of factory-built housing. Ms. Shein has been an active participant in her community and has served on many boards, including the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Michiana Mathtracks, WNIT (a PBS affiliate), and the Chicago Human Rhythm Project. She earned a B.A. in political science from UCLA, a Masters in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Michael Thieneman

Michael Thieneman

Michael Thieneman served in various roles throughout his distinguished career with Whirlpool. His tenure with the company took him to Canada, where he helped solve engineering and quality issues before becoming general manager of Whirlpool's Canadian business. Later roles provided Mr. Thieneman with opportunities in Italy, where he turned around a failing operation, and in Michigan, where he took over the company's global procurement operations before serving as executive vice president of both its North American and global operations. After retiring, he spent three years sailing around the world. Mr. Thieneman and his wife, Cathy, enjoy spending time with their four daughters and 13 grandchildren. He earned a B.A. in physics from Bellarmine College, an M.B.A. from the University of Evansville, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Kentucky.
Philip White

Philip White

Phil White's 30-year legal career focused on the construction of large-scale infrastructure projects around the world and the disputes that arise from them. He capped his legal career as co-leader of the Infrastructure Practice Group at Dentons US, LLP and still serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of Engineering, teaching on managing and resolving construction disputes. Mr. White has also been active as a volunteer working with the youth and stewardship programs at his local church, providing business and legal support to international development projects through the Episcopal Church, serving on the boards of several nonprofits and providing legal representation to nonprofits and indigent criminal defendants. He earned a B.A. in economics from New York University and a J.D. from Cardozo Law School.
Inspired by his work at ILI, Phil helped found a program at Notre Dame to fight human trafficking with several other fellows, is pursuing a life long interest in caring for others by training to be an EMT, and is serving his church as Senior Warden.

2018-19

John Graham

John Graham

John Graham served as an officer of HCR ManorCare, a diversified healthcare services company, where he spent over 30 years of his career. His areas of specialization include memory care, general assisted living, hospice, home health, skilled nursing, rehabilitation and physician practice management. Mr. Graham serves as Board President of Mobile Meals of Toledo, a nonprofit social service agency, and is Treasurer of Saint Michael’s in the Hills Episcopal Church. He also serves on the Student Affairs Alumni Advisory Board at his alma mater, Virginia Tech. Mr. Graham earned an M.B.A from the University of Virginia’s Darden School and a B.S. in Management and Economics from Virginia Tech.
William Hopkins

William Hopkins

“Tuck” Hopkins served as partner of Barnes and Thornburg, LP. He joined the law firm in 1998, and he served as a member of the firm-wide management committee and in various other leadership roles. Prior to that, Mr. Hopkins was president and an owner of a boutique labor law firm, where he began his career. He has worked with a large number of public and private schools concerning board governance and issues facing education. Mr. Hopkins earned his J.D. from the University of St. Louis and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Jefferson Ko

Jefferson Ko

Jeff Ko took on various roles in the Global Markets Division of several European banks, and was Head of Structured Products in Wealth Management for Maybank Singapore. He began his banking career in the Philippines before moving on to more senior roles in Singapore, including at ING, where he covered the East Asia region. During his free time, Jeff enjoys playing badminton, scuba diving, and traveling. In addition, he has served as a volunteer mentor to university graduates starting their professional careers. Jeff received his Management Engineering degree from Ateneo de Manila University.
David Kostolansky

David Kostolansky

Dave Kostolansky served as chairman and chief executive officer of Schaefer Equipment, Inc., a manufacturer of carbon and alloy steel forgings for the railroad and mining industries. During his tenure at Schaefer, he directed product management, marketing and sales, and engineering, as he ascended the organization. He has served on numerous boards for both community nonprofit organizations, foundations and business associations. Mr. Kostolansky earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
John Madden

John Madden

1937-2024

John Madden served as chairman, chief executive officer, and president of First National Bank and Trust of La Grange, IL, a multi-bank community holding company. During his 50-year career, he also served as chairman of Heritage Bank of Schaumburg, IL, and its holding company. Prior to that, Mr. Madden served military duty with the U.S. Coast Guard. Today, Mr. Madden served on both the Notre Dame Arts and Letters Advisory Council and the Notre Dame Ireland Advisory Council. Mr. Madden earned an M.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame.
Louis Marchioli

Louis Marchioli

Louis Marchioli, M.D., built one of the largest private medical practices in both pediatric and adult allergy and immunology in Southern California. After a fellowship in allergy and immunology, his patient roster included many severe adult and pediatric asthmatic patients. Because of the large number, he was able to stratify patient phenotypes early on, enabling more precise and beneficial treatments. With the advent of Health Management Organization medicine, he made the decision to remain in private practice in order to give patients the best quality of care. The decision required returning to the speciality of internal medicine and enhancing patient and family contact so that they could understand and be given the proper advancements in medicine with less third-party interference. Dr. Marchioli has served as president of Whittier Academy of Medicine, LA County Medical Association East District and has served on numerous boards and ministries. He has received multiple honors and awards for his service and quality of practice. Dr. Marchioli earned his M.D. from Saint Louis University and his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame.
Kevin Phelan

Kevin Phelan

Kevin Phelan worked for the Most Rev. Robert Morlino in the capacity of chancellor in the Dioceses of Helena, MT, and Madison, WI. His primary responsibility was developing guidelines and processes to ensure that children and young adults were protected from sexual abuse. He also implemented support procedures for victims and their families and managed the lay staff. He oversaw major projects, including reorganizing parishes, financing the education of priests, and repurposing diocesan property to increase cash flow to diocesan ministries. Prior to this, Mr. Phelan served as chief operating officer for the Services Division of both Lucent Technologies and Avaya, as well as various management positions with AT&T. He earned his M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and B.A. degrees in English and Philosophy from Regis College in Denver.
Walter Piacsek (Associate)

Walter Piacsek (Associate)

Walter Piacsek served as partner at Apax Partners, a global private equity firm where he was head of Latin American operations, which he founded. Prior to that, Mr. Piacsek worked for Banco Votorantim, where he served as executive vice president and co-head of Wholesale Banking, and subsequently, as COO. He was also partner, managing director, and head of the Boston Consulting Group in Brazil after starting his career at Citibank. Mr. Piacsek has served on various boards of leading NGO’s in Brazil in public education, development of social investment, and child nutrition. Mr. Piacsek earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas.
Ida Reynolds Watson

Ida Reynolds Watson

Ida Reynolds Watson has held roles at General Motors, Union City Body Co., Control Data Corporation, IBM, and most recently, as co-owner and vice president of public relations for Lexus of Mishawaka and as chief information officer of Brookdale Dodge in Minnesota before that. She has contributed to many local programs and causes, including Celebrating Michiana Women Leaders, the WNIT Executive Committee, the Boys and Girls Club of St. Joseph County, and the Center for Hospice Care in South Bend, IN. Ms. Reynolds Watson earned her M.A. in Ministry from Bethel College, her B.A. in History, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan, and an Industrial Engineer Certificate from the General Motors (Kettering) Institute.
Camille Rudge

Camille Rudge

Camille Rudge served as the founding managing director and former head of Capital Markets at CIBC Bank U.S. (formerly The PrivateBank), where she established a key strategic business for CIBC’s recently expanded U.S. footprint. Throughout her 30-year career, Ms. Rudge developed ten derivatives franchises across a variety of asset classesÂ including currencies, interest rates, and commodities. Ms. Rudge has been a longstanding board member of both Chicago Children’s Museum and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago while also holding various other chair and executive committee positions. Ms. Rudge earned her M.B.A. from Northwestern University and her B.S. in Computer Science from Bucknell University.
Cynthia Sescleifer

Cynthia Sescleifer

Cindy Sescleifer led a successful career in medical sales with Marion Laboratories in Fort Wayne, IN, and then with Schering-Plough and Beckman Instruments in St. Louis before making the choice to devote her talents to raising her four children. She served as co-director of the Meals-on-Wheels organization in Creve Coeur, MO, and organized many other school- and parish-related engagements and has recently completed the 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Ms. Sescleifer earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Notre Dame.
Patricia Sigmon

Patricia Sigmon

Pat Sigmon served as founder, chief executive officer, and president of LPS Consulting, an award-winning enterprise resource planning solutions provider. During her tenure Ms. Sigmon served on numerous advisory boards. She is a speaker, lecturer and business author for publications including Forbes, Businessweek, Money, and The Wall Street Journal. Her book Six Steps to Creating Profit: A Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Service-Based Businesses was published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ms. Sigmon earned her B.A. in Computer Science from Rutgers University.
Maureen Toner

Maureen Toner

Maureen Toner was a founding member and chief operating officer of The Cube (now part of the NFHS Network), a free streaming platform that featured over 4,000 schools worldwide and captured more than 275,000 live events. Her previous experience includes roles at Price Waterhouse and Unitrin (now Kemper). Throughout her career, Ms. Toner was actively engaged in organizations such as Hephzibah Children’s Association, Horizons for Youth, Saint John of the Cross Parish, and The Chicago Lighthouse, where she provided readings of newspapers for vision-impaired listeners on CRIS Radio. Ms. Toner earned her M.B.A. from DePaul University and her B.B.A. in Accounting from Saint Mary’s College.
Evon Vogt

Evon Vogt

"Terry" Vogt has had a career in a variety of international pursuits. He first worked a decade for Wells Fargo Bank, primarily overseas. Following that, Mr. Vogt joined a private equity investment business based in Rio de Janeiro for a decade and a half. He then became the chief operating officer of an international organization dealing with agriculture and sustainable development, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture. After that, Mr. Vogt became director of sustainable conservation finance for the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. He subsequently made an investment in Terra Global Capital, a San Francisco firm promoting sustainable landscapes, mostly in tropical forests, where he maintains an advisory role. He received an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado, where he was also coach of the CU lacrosse team. HisÂ undergraduate degree is from Harvard in Latin American History. In 1996, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President of Brazil, awarded Terry with the Order of Rio Branco.
Martin Whalen

Martin Whalen

Marty Whalen served as CEO of Martin Whalen Office Solutions, a third-generation, family owned business providing office machines and document technology to businesses in Illinois since 1936. After selling the business, he participated in the first cohort of the Inspired Leadership Initiative at Notre Dame. Now splitting time between LaPorte, Indiana and Bozeman, Montana, he is enjoying retirement but he remains active as a co-founder of Crossroads Solar, a domestic producer of solar panels based in South Bend. Crossroads Solar is a mission-driven business - all employees are formerly incarcerated people transitioning back into society.